Tuesday, September 02, 2014

BOOK BLAST and GIVEAWAYS! Even In Death by Kristy Feltenberger Gillespie - A collection of freakishly great short stories!

I am so proud and honored to be a part of the Even In Death Book Blast! My wonderful friend, Kristy Feltenberger Gillespie is a fantastic author and I can't wait to share my review with you! At the bottom of the post there are TWO FANTASTIC GIVEAWAYS!

Title: Even In Death: A Short Story Collection

Author: Kristy
Feltenberger Gillespie

Published: August
4th, 2014

Word Count: approx.
40,000

Genre: Short Story

Age Recommendation: 15+

Synopsis

Even In Death, a collection of ten short stories, explores the
thin line between love and hate; extreme emotions even death cannot destroy.

Julie wants nothing more than to receive a flower bouquet from
the hometown veterinarian. However, in “A Flower Story,” flowers are delivered
long after a person is alive to smell them.

After purchasing their dream home, Sara and David feel truly
blessed. Unfortunately, the couple soon discovers they’ve inherited a wicked
curse. In fact, in “What’s Really There,” the former residents’ spirits refuse
to move on.

In the title story, on the anniversary of his fiancés’ death,
Mark realizes that he can see and communicate with spirits, including Amy’s.
Can Mark and Amy’s love survive even in death?

“A Flower Story,” “What’s Really There,” and “Even In Death,”
as well as the other seven stories in the collection are rife with emotion that
will linger well after the last page.

Kristy Feltenberger Gillespie lives in Warrenton, Virginia with
her husband, two cats, and three dachshunds. She’s a middle school counselor,
graduate student at Longwood University, (pursuing a degree in School Library
Media) blogger, short story and Young Adult novel writer. When she’s not
working, she’s traveling or dreaming of traveling. She’s been on several cross
country road trips with her mom. In fact, Hawaii and Alaska are the only states
she hasn’t been to.

When Angelica adjusts her sunglasses, Olivia notices her best
friend’s black eye.

“Oh, sweetie, what happened?” Olivia reaches across the sticky
table for Angelica’s hands but she moves them quickly; as if Olivia’s touch is
a flame that will burn her beyond recognition.

Angelica chews on her bottom lip. “Nothing.”

“I’m worried about you.”

“There’s nothing to worry about, Olivia.” She separates the ‘O’
from the ‘livia.’

A spunky orange haired waitress arrives at their table. Her
name tag reads “Bad Susie” with a little devil sticker next to it. “Can I take
your order?”

“Plain coffee, please,” Olivia says.

“Same here,” Angelica says.

Susie places a hand on her hip. “You sure you don’t want
pancakes? Eggs and toast?”

They shake their heads.

Bad Susie tilts her head, focusing on Angelica. “You’re worth
so much more.”

“What?” Angelica winces.

“You’re wearing sunglasses indoors, long sleeves and jeans, and
it’s like eighty degrees outside. And your makeup is only partially covering
your bruises. Obviously your boyfriend is a beater. Just know you’re worth more
than that.” Before Angelica has a chance to respond, Susie moves to the next
table.

I have known Kristy for several years now, and I must say I had no idea just how dark she could write! This was a great reminder never to piss her off... hahaha... she was knocking off characters left and right! But let's get down to the truth of it. This was really spectacular writing. Ten short stories all tucked together in a frighteningly lovely package. One thing that immediately struck my mind while reading was her masterful use of psychology. As a school counselor, she has probably dealt with a great many issues, but Kristy nailed the psychotic and paranoid personas perfectly. Kind of freaked me out, actually ;)These stories stretch across many issues and topics. From different mental disorders to abuse. From Paranormal to serendipity. From grief to recovery. It was a harmonious cornucopia of stories that blended into one delicious read. A Flower Story was incredibly moving. It forced me stop to absorb the harshness and ironic turn of events. A few stories made me seriously cringe, shudder and frankly weirded out. A Fine Winter Day and Motivator were delectably bizarre and I enjoyed both entire stories. What Caught My Senses had my mind flashing images of Stephen King movies. Two stories really stuck out to me. Kayanna Pepper and Even In Death. For Kayanna Pepper, it may be the subject matter (art) but the overall story was vivid and authentic. It flowed with purpose and left me a very satisfied reader at the finale. Dealing with tragedy is always tough. Everybody handles it uniquely. It can change our whole course of life and driving passions... or at least damper them for a while. This was a great example of overcoming the past and releasing the chains that bind people to guilt. Even In Death was tragic. As in... break out the tissues. Shakespeare would love the whole thing... except the ending. The paranormal was not in your face but just part of the story, not the style. I love how Kristy used so many types of loss in just this one story. Not only the kinds of loved ones gone, but careers, families, marriages, entire futures. She created a story that was emotionally tough to read, but very moving at the end.Bravo my friend, bravo. Well Done! I encourage everyone, especially those who love thrillers or gritty realism to hit Amazon today!

Mama Bookasurus

I am a book addict Mom with three kids. My blog (mamabookasurus.blogspot.com) is dedicated to all things YA and NA: Paranormal, Fae, Supernatural, Romance, Mystery, Fantasy & Sci-Fi. My passion is books... devouring great books one delicious bite at a time!